Chickpeas and lettuce. No coffee.
That’s what Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker had for breakfast on his second day living on the food budget of an average American receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. From Dec. 4 to Dec. 12, Booker has agreed to eat only what he could buy with just under $30 – about $4 per day – and with fewer than two days completed, Booker’s already faced challenges. Politico tried to help the mayor out by suggesting low-cost meals, but Booker rejected their meat-laden ideas, tweeting, “Not helping much. I’m a vegetarian.”

Booker told constituents about his first day on the SNAP challenge in a fire-side-chat-style video posted to WayWire, the social media site he co-founded.